Whether you left a job willingly or got fired, sometimes it is essential for you to take some time off to decompress before starting a new job. This decompressing time can allow you to focus on yourself and realign your career goals. More importantly, it can help put you in the right mindset and make you feel ready to tackle the new role.
In this post by One Tech Staffing, we will discuss why you should take time off between jobs and how much.
Why Take Time Off Between Jobs?
If you have the opportunity, taking time off between jobs can offer numerous advantages for both you and your new employer.
1. Time to Relieve Stress
Working every day on back-to-back office projects can be extremely tiring for your body, as well as your mind. You need to give yourself a rest to clear your head of the pressures of deadlines.
Taking a break in between jobs can be extremely beneficial for your mental well-being. It will also give your body time to recover from the physical tiredness. You can use the time off to go on outdoor trips or spend some time doing what you love, so you can come back feeling refreshed.
2. Clear Your Head for Creativity
Your mind indeed suffers a lot if you keep pushing yourself to a new challenge without taking a break. A break can help clear your head so that you can give your best at your job with much more room for creative ideas. Many studies have shown how taking time off can actually boost productivity in employees.
3. Gain a Chance to Reflect on Yourself
Taking a break between jobs will leave you time to reflect on your skills and abilities, and find out in which areas you need to improve. Doing this will help you perform better at your new job, therefore increasing your chances of a successful career.
How Much Time to Take Off In-Between Jobs
It is understandable that you need some time off before starting a new job. However, to decide how much time you should take off in between jobs, you should consider the following factors.
1. Assessing Business Goals
You need to realize that you got hired for a job because you were needed. All successful companies have targets and milestones to achieve. These companies hire you to help them achieve those milestones. It is not unfair to ask for time off, but you should carefully assess how far the business stands from achieving its targets and goals.
You should determine how urgently the company requires your help and then decide how much time you should take off.
2. Consider Your Financial Situation
To determine how much time you should take off in-between jobs, you should consider your family's financial situation. Think about your savings and their sustainability to your expenses. Your significant expenses include rent, health insurance, monthly groceries, electric and water bills, etc. Therefore, you should consider every aspect of your finances and then make an informed decision.
It is also imperative to determine how crucial taking time off is to you. If you're doing it just for fun and relaxing while your finances are not in a good situation, you might be going down the wrong road.
3. Give Time to Your Personal Needs
Your job must have kept you busy for a long time. This would have resulted in intentional delays in giving time to your personal needs. Now is the perfect time to do that.
Whether it was a family visit you had been delaying or repairing your house, you can do that now. However, before giving your new job start date, you should make an entire plan about how long it would take you to tend to your personal needs. This would help you stay more organized and start your new job with a clear mind.
4. Enjoy This Time
You've been working yourself up so much about getting a new job that you must have forgotten what it means to decompress and relax. Ideally, you should take a vacation and stay away from the hustle and bustles of your routine life.
Plan a trip and see how long a vacation your finances allow you. Remember that this is the time to relax, so don't worry about your job because you'll get to do that once you start it.
However, before you plan out your entire trip, make sure to inform your company beforehand about the date you'll be starting your job on.
5. Include the Time to Schedule Your Job Days
Do you know who's better than a new employee? A new employee who has done his background work about the job and has clear determination to achieve those goals.
Before starting a new job, you should take some time off to plan how things will roll once you start. You should read documents, schedule meetings, finish any HR pending paperwork, etc.
All of this is important because it helps you transition into your new job, and you perform well since the start of your job. Therefore, you should factor in prescribing some days to this work in the time you've taken off to start your new job.
How to Negotiate Time Off Between Jobs
When you accept a job offer, one of the first things you will discuss is your start date. If you’re hoping to take some time off, here are some tips.
Explain Why You Need a Break
Let the new company know why you must take a break between jobs. Tell them that you worked extremely hard at your last job and that it is important to take some time off to recharge yourself for the new pursuit.
Don’t look afraid or unsure to the employer. Take charge and communicate effectively.
Pick a Start Date
Once your hiring process is complete, do not leave it to the employer to choose your start date without your input. Be confident and negotiate a date that works for you too.
Ask for a Mid-Week Start Date
Whether you have applied for a job in automation, engineering, or any other career, most leave dates fall on Friday. So, requesting to start later in the week can give you extra time for a break.
Find Your Ideal Job With Us!
Now that you’ve taken some time off, you should start hunting for jobs. OneTech can help you find the ideal job by connecting you with just the right employers.
This Minnesota-based technical recruiting firm is a platform that helps both job seekers and employers. Contact us at 952-884-9199 to learn more to find your next dream job.